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Boston Pops re-imagines ‘Ragtime’ to kick off new season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

Corresponding with lyricist Lynn Ahrens about the Boston Pops production of “Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert,” conductor Keith Lockhart had a simple question: “How does it feel to look back at this and say, ‘Wow, we wrote a masterpiece’?”When “Ragtime” debuted on Broadway in 1997, the musical was overshadowed by blockbuster “The Lion King.” But in “Ragtime,” Lockhart sees a complex and compelling work of art that speaks to America’s past and present.“Oddly enough given all the Tony Awards it won, it is sometimes overlooked in the pantheon of great musicals,” Lockhart told the Herald. “But it is so frighteningly relevant to the time we are living in… The show is about various groups of Americans and how they experience the American dream or how they experience being denied the American dream. You could have written it about 21st century America instead of turn-of-the-century 20th century America.”The Pops pulled the show’s original creative team together – Ahrens, composer Stephen Fla...

Aaron Rodgers to make Jets debut Sept. 11 against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

The Aaron Rodgers era with the Jets will begin under the lights in primetime.On “Good Morning America,” Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman revealed the Jets will host the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football Sept. 11 at MetLife Stadium. The two teams split their meetings last year as the Jets shocked the Bills at MetLife Stadium 20-17 last November. Buffalo got its revenge at home in December, 20-12.This is the second Jets primetime game announced before Thursday night’s schedule release. On Wednesday, it was announced the Jets would host the Dolphins on the first NFL Black Friday game on Amazon Prime on Nov. 24 at MetLife Stadium. The rest of the Jets schedule will be revealed on Thursday at 8 p.m.The Rodgers effect is real, as Gang Green has already received more national television games than a year ago. During the 2022 season, the Jets was featured once in primetime, a loss to the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football last December.With the ...

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson foils Miami’s attempted Hack-a-Shaq in Game 5

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

Mitchell Robinson trotted to the bench with a grin so wide, you could see it from the other side of the bridge.Only Latrell Sprewell got louder applause than the Knicks’ starting center Wednesday night.It took a Knicks legend sitting courtside during an elimination Game 5 to one-up the standing ovation Robinson received when he spoiled the Miami Heat’s late-game plans.Trailing eight with under 5:30 left in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s futile attempt to close-out their second-round playoff series against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the Heat resorted to intentionally fouling Robinson, a historically poor free throw shooter who has shot worse than 50% from the line in each of his last three seasons.The lanky, athletic big man stepped to the foul line and said four words to himself: “I’m knocking these down.”Robinson made the first with his funky — some would say, broken — free-throw shooting form, then signaled to the crowd t...

California Wine Festival returns to North County this summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Wine tastings, gourmet appetizers, live entertainment and more is set to return to Carlsbad this summer during the California Wine Festival.This will mark the third time the event has taken place in North County and organizers say it will be held at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort on Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24.  4 castles within driving distance of San Diego Festivalgoers can expect an array of renowned wines from across the Golden State, which will be available for sampling and purchase. Organizers say many of North County’s top restaurants will also be in attendance to serve up bites to pair to the flavors of each glass. The event will kick off with a Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting, which has been described as "an intimate experience for wine aficionados." Guests will sample specialty reserve and limited-production wines while enjoying local cuisine. Then on Saturday, the wine festival will go beachside at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort's Heron Lawn. Or...

Pakistan’s Supreme Court orders release of former PM Imran Khan, after his arrest sparks violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, two days after his arrest sparked countrywide violence.Supreme Court chief justice Umar Ata Bandial also asked Khan to issue an appeal to his supporters to remain peaceful, as the country faced growing turmoil in its streets.The supporters of Khan were seen dancing near the court building to celebrate his release.After being ousted from power in a no-confidence vote by lawmakers, Khan was faced with multiple corruption charges in Pakistani courts.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story is below:With former Prime Minister Imran Khan in custody, Pakistani authorities on Thursday cracked down on his supporters, detaining hundreds in overnight raids and sending troops across the country to rein in the wave of violence that followed his arrest earlier this week. For this nation accustomed to military takeovers, political crises and violence, the turmoil has been u...

Russian Olympic Committee president hits out at IOC after top athletes excluded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The president of the Russian Olympic Committee indicated Thursday that the country could boycott qualifying competitions in fencing for next year’s Paris Games after some athletes, including his own daughter, were barred from competing.The International Olympic Committee recommends letting competitors from Russia and Belarus compete as neutral athletes without national symbols after the invasion of Ukraine, but still excluding those employed by the military or security services, or those who have publicly backed the war.Two-time gold medalist Yana Egorian and all three of the gold medalists in women’s team saber from the Tokyo Olympics — Sofya Velikaya, Olga Nikitina and Sofia Pozdniakova — were refused after vetting from the International Fencing Federation, Russian Fencing Federation president Ilgar Mamedov told state news agencies.Pozdniakova is the daughter of Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov.Some lesser-known fencers we...

Marijuana legalization bill up for vote in New Hampshire Senate, which has blocked it several times

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A bill to legalize recreational marijuana in New Hampshire faces its latest challenge Thursday before the Senate, which has rejected it several times in the past, leaving the state the lone holdout in New England. Republicans have a slight majority in the House. They have a 14-10 advantage in the Senate. Though several bipartisan bills in support of legalization have cleared the House in recent years, the Senate has blocked them. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said earlier this year he doesn’t expect new legislation to reach his desk with teen drug use and overdoses on the rise. The latest bill passed by the House would put the state’s Liquor Commission in charge of regulating marijuana, with a 12.5 percent tax levied at the cultivation level. Most of the tax revenue would go toward reducing the state’s pension liability and the state’s education trust fund, with some set aside for substance abuse prevention programs and police training. Opponents focused o...

New book on Bob Dylan will feature hundreds of rare images

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of rare photos and other images from the archives of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will be featured in “Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine,” coming out this fall. The new release also will include dozens of essays, with novelist Michael Ondaatje, critic Greil Marcus and former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo among the contributors. Callaway Arts & Entertainment announced Thursday that the 600-page book will come out Oct. 24. The founder of Callaway, Nicholas Callaway, said in a statement that “Mixing Up the Medicine” will “introduce the full scope of this artist’s monumental creativity and achievements to a new generation.”The book is edited by Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel of the Bob Dylan Center, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Mixing Up the Medicine” refers to a line from Dylan’s classic “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” According to the publisher, “Mixing Up the Medicine” will include draft lyrics, photographs, drawings and other materials. The release has a lis...

Slain officer identified, two others in hospital after shooting east of Ottawa: OPP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

BOURGET, Ont. — One officer is dead and two others were injured early Thursday morning after they were shot in a village east of Ottawa, Ontario Provincial Police said. The OPP commissioner said he anxiously awaited further information about the two injured officers, as he identified the slain officer as Sgt. Eric Mueller.“It is with an extremely heavy heart that I regretfully advise that OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller has been killed in the line of duty,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in a statement posted to social media.“We anxiously await for further word on his fellow officers who are still at hospital.” The three OPP officers responded shortly after 2 a.m. to a disturbance at a home in Bourget, Ont., where someone reported hearing a gunshot, OPP said. When they arrived, the officers were shot by someone at the home, police said. All three were sent to an Ottawa hospital. In a statement, Premier Doug Ford extended his thoughts to the family of Mueller, wh...

US jobless claims filings highest since 2021, but job market remains healthy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:47 GMT

The number of Americans filing for jobless claims last week rose to its highest level in a year-and-a-half, though the labor market remains healthy by historical standards.Applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 6 rose by 22,000 to 264,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s up from the previous week’s 242,000 and the highest since November of 2021. The weekly claims numbers are seen as representative of the number of U.S. layoffs.The four-week moving average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, rose by 6,000 to 245,250.For the week of April 29, the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose by 12,000 from the previous week to 1.81 million. American workers are enjoying unusual job security despite rising interest rates, economic uncertainty and fears of a looming recession.U.S. employers added a healthy 253,000 jobs in April, evidence of a labor market still showing surprising resilience. The u...